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Friday, 23 November 2012

The Latest from Iran (23 November): A Wobble Over Gaza

Gaza Prime Minister Haniyeh & President Ahmadinejad0710 GMT: The regime's attempt to claim triumph in the Gaza War continues, with Minister of Defense Ahmad Vahidi giving the latest proclamation:

Besides severe frustration of the leaders of the usurping Zionist regime, the victory of the people of Gaza also brought about the mortification of the US and Europe’s leaders, who, through their overt and covert instances of support and silence, were the encouragers and supporters of the Zionist regime’s war crimes.

However, there was a surprising crack on Thursday in the propaganda wall, letting in a shaft of reality. The "hard-line" Serat News, recognising the tensions within Hamas, also noted the problem for Iran: some of those Gazan leaders were looking to other countries, rather than Tehran, for political alliance.

A review of the dualistic positions of the leaders of this group in recent months is devoid of kindness. One of these leaders is Khaled Meshaal, the head of the Hamas political bureau. He, who has enjoyed the unflinching support of the Islamic Republic in all areas, in relation to the Syria Crisis adopted a different and astonishing position. He supported regime change in Syria when he was the guest of the government of the Assad family for many years. When no country in the West supported this group, Bashar Assad in the capacity of steadfast patron backed him. Recently Meshaal, at the ceremony of the Justice and Development Party of Turkey, addressed Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the leader of the Islamic world and stated his support for the biggest enemy of Bashar al-Assad.

That criticism of Meshaal, seen for some time as a pragmatist moving away from the Islamic Republic to diversify Hamas' partnerships, is not surprising. What is is more striking is the concern over Haniyeh, who has been portrayed as closer to Tehran, linked to the first trips by leaders of Arab States to Gaza since Hamas took power in 2007:

Recently we also witnessed the trip of the authorities of two sheikdoms, Qatar and Bahrain, to Gaza, greeted and accompanied by Ismail Haniyeh, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. But this question must be asked of the leaders of Hamas and their political bureau whose recent relations with governments, namely Qatar and Turkey, who are counted as allies of the American and Zionist front: with what reasons and logic are [such relations] justifiable?

Did the leaders of these countries in the war of the past week cry out in support of Gaza?! Were they even ready for the publication of a short statement to condemn the crimes and brutality of the Zionist regime?! Can such countries be trusted and depended upon as a supporter?!

So the article ends not with the standard assertion of "victory", but with an admonition which is close to a plea:

With the existence and taking heed of some of the unacceptable actions of the leaders of the Hamas movement, still the only supporter of this group is Islamic Iran and it is Iranian missiles that paraded through the Tel Aviv skies. It is hoped that the Palestinian leaders learn from the betrayals of countries which are apparent friends, but in fact enemies, and remain as in the past in the Islamic resistance front against usurping Israel.